Professional compiler for ARM/Cortex includes Mixed Language Programming

Professional edition compilers with PowerNet.

ARM/Cortex has hardware floating point support for Cortex-M4F, Cortex-M7 and ARM.

Segger J-Link integration for ARM/Cortex

Interactive Compilation, Debug and Test

MPE Forth 7 cross compilers are tools with a wide range of features designed to emphasise rapid production of embedded systems. They are available in Windows, Linux and Mac OS X versions. They all feature fast compilation, interactive debug and test even for single chip targets, and on-line source management. Forth 7 compilers have the features described below.

Full target source code, with cross-compiler source available on completion of a non-disclosure agreement

No copy protection or dongle, with license terms based on a simple book license approach

Technical support

Many other features

System Requirements

Windows 7/8/10, Linux or Mac OS X. The Windows compilers will probably work under XP SP3 onwards, but our last real XP box is being retired, and the XP and Vista Virtual Machines may be retired this year (2017).

Documentation

Forth 7 manual

CPU/Target-specific manual

AIDE Cross compiler shell manual

On-line help files

Forth ANS Specification

The full Forth 7 cross compiler manual is available for download from here. CPU and target manuals are available on request.

Support Services

Technical support via telephone and e-mail

Optional annual Extended Technical Support (XTS) contract including all upgrades and direct access to the development team.

Forth 7 Cross Compiler

Compilers are available in four editions, Professional, Standard, Stamp and Lite. For MSP430 and ARM Cortex CPUs, code and RAM size limited Lite and Stamp compilers are available. Lite compilers may not be used commercially but are free of charge. Stamp compilers may be used commercially. The Professional edition is the previous Developer edition; for 32 bit Professional targets the PowerNet TCP/IP stack is included.

Note that the Forth Lite kernel supplied with the Lite compilers is not a full ANS-Forth kernel and may be incompatible with the PowerForth kernels supplied with the Professional, Standard and Stamp compilers. See the Lite compiler page for more details.

Lite

Stamp

Standard

Professional

VFX code generator

Y

Y

Y

Y

All target code in source form

Y

Y

Y

Y

Full-featured standalone PowerForth target

N

Y

Y

Y

Small standalone Lite target

Y

N

N

N

Umbilical target

Y

Y

Y

Y

Multi-tasking

Y

Y

Y

Y

Cross reference tools

N

N

Y

Y

Unlimited code size

N

N

Y

Y

State machine compiler

N

N

Y

Y

Floating point math

N

N

Y

Y

32 bit targets

PowerFiler Unix-like file system

N

N

Y

Y

PID loops

N

N

Y

Y

FAT 12/16/32 file system, SD/MMC

N

N

N

Y

USB driver, core and classes

N

N

N

Y

PowerView embedded GUI

N

N

N

Y

PowerNet TCP/IP stack

N

N

N

Y

Compiler source code (with NDA)

N

N

N

Y

16 bit targets

Bank-switched targets

N

N

Y

Y

PID loops

N

N

N

Y

Compiler source code (with NDA)

N

N

N

Y

Professional

The full compiler with all tools, compiler source code (after signature of a non-disclosure agreement), all target source code including a wide range of chips and device drivers.

Hardware floating point packages are only provided for the Professional editions of the ARM/Cortex-Mx compiler.

The FAT filing system, USB code, PowerView embedded GUI and PowerNet TCP/IP stack are only available for 32 bit targets.

Professional systems come with upgrades for one year after purchase. An Extended Technical Support or ad-hoc upgrades are available after that period.

The Professional edition for 32 bit targets is the previous Developer edition with the PowerNet TCP/IP stack included. For 16 bit targets the Professional features are the same as those of the Developer edition.

Standard

Upgrades are provided for one year after purchase. Ad-hoc upgrades are available after that period.

Stamp

Stamp compilers are available for the ARM/Cortex-Mx and MSP430 targets.

The ARM/Cortex-Mx Stamp compiler is code-limited to 128kb, RAM-limited to 32kb, and target device drivers are supplied for NXP LPC21xx and LPC17xx, STM32F4 and Kinetis devices only.

The MSP430 Stamp compiler is code-limited to 16 kb and RAM-limited to 4 kb.

Lite

Lite compilers are free of charge and are for non-commercial use only.

Lite compilers are available for ARM Cortex-Mx and MSP430 targets. They feature a simplified (smaller) Forth kernel that compiles directly into Flash. Each compiler targets one or more low-cost boards.

The ARM/Cortex-M0/M3 Lite compiler is code-limited to 64 kb and RAM-limited to 16 kb. Target device drivers are supplied for the STM32F072B Discovery board (includes MEMS gyros), which is available from most catalogues, e.g. Digikey, Element14, Farnell, and Mouser.

The MSP430 Lite compiler is code-limited to 16 kb and RAM-limited to 1 kb. Target device drivers are supplied for the TI Launchpad G2 with the MSP430G2553 CPU. This board is available from several sources including the TI web shop.

Users can add additional tools at any time using the tool configuration system.

AIDE v6 is entirely written in Forth. If you want to create a custom version, please contact us to obtain the source code. Signing a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is required before the AIDE source code is delivered.

Fast Compilation

The cross compilers are native VFX Forth applications that use a fast symbol search system for optimum performance and features. For large applications, we regularly find that the compiler can generate 500kb/second or more of binary. In the main, compilation speed is limited by disk performance.

Standalone Forth

Forth was designed as an interactive language, which is one reason why Forth permits embedded systems to be constructed and debugged very rapidly. Many designers like to retain that facility on their targets, so MPE compilers permit you to do this. The standalone target contains a complete Forth compiler and interpreter which can be used for debugging, and can also be used for communications, runtime configuration scripts, remote monitoring and even for accepting software updates in the field.

Umbilical Forth

Where memory is at a premium, use the Umbilical Forth option. The normal Forth interactivity is retained, but is provided by the cross compiler, so avoiding the need for the full Forth compiler and interpreter on the target. This reduces the memory requirements of a fully interactive Forth to about 2k bytes for 8 and 16 bit CPUs. In this mode all the host tools are available as if on the target, making Umbilical Forth ideal for single chip target development.

VFX Code Generator

Compilers for suitable target CPUs use MPE’s VFX optimising code generator, which provides excellent code quality and code density. The VFX technology eliminates redundant memory moves caused by stack manipulations, and merges many common Forth operations. As well as Forth-specific techniques, VFX code generators include standard compiler techniques common in other languages. Inlining of procedures below a user definable size is also supported.

The VFX code generator produces code that is between 5 and 15 times faster than traditional Forth direct threaded code, somewhat dependent of course on the CPU architecture. We have not written an interrupt routine in assembler for many years! A separate paper is available that has figures for several benchmarks. The MPE cross compiler benchmark code may also be downloaded (approx 40kb).

VFX compilers also include a disassembler that is very useful for checking code generation efficiency, and for making performance analyses and decisions.

Source Management

The cross compiler provides facilities enabling you to see the source code of any target word at any time, and to find out where it is used in the code. Typing LOCATE <name> will display the source code for that word or put you in an editor at the start of the definition. XREF <name> will give you a list of all the words that use <name> – a cross-reference. XREF-ALL cross references all the words you have defined, whereas XREF-UNUSED produces a list of any words that have been defined but are unused.

If you have to build several versions of a project, use the text macro facilities built into AIDE and the cross compilers. These allow you to change directories, file names and text globally within a project.

When you have a substantial project, you can use the DocGen system to produce code manuals for your project. For safety-critical applications, DocGen/SC can be used to integrate documentation and test code in a form suitable for FDA approval. Contact the MPE office for more details of DocGen/SC.

Integrated Assembler

All compilers include an integrated cross assembler. There is no need to place assembly code in separate files. The assemblers are fast, easy to use, and are fully integrated into the cross compiler. The assemblers support macros, conditional structures, named labels with forward referencing and local labels.

A disassembler within the cross compiler allows you to inspect the generated code.

Library Files With Multi-Pass Reference Resolution

Library files are source files that can be scanned at the end of compilation. If a procedure in a library file satisfies a forward reference, the procedure is compiled and the reference resolved. A group of library files is scanned until no more references can be resolved.

This procedure allows you to minimise the size of your code by only including words if they are actually needed.

User Definable Communications Links And Memory Drivers

For Umbilical Forth development, the compiler needs a communications link to the target. The protocol for this link has been factored in such a way that you can add your own drivers to the compiler.

The compilers provide output of memory SECTIONs to files or to memory drivers, the most common of which is a Flash or EPROM emulator driver. You can add your own memory drivers if you need to, for example to drive a JTAG programmer or in-circuit emulator. Output file formats are binary, Intel Hex (16 or 32 bit), Motorola S19/28/37 and ELF.

Flexible Target Memory Management

As microcontrollers gain more peripheral blocks and mixes of on-chip memory, efficient applications must make best use of these areas. The compilers allow you to define any number of areas of memory called SECTIONs, which may be for code (CDATA), memory that is initialised at power up (IDATA), or uninitialised memory (UDATA).

Targets that require more memory than the CPU normally addresses, for example when a 9S12/68HC12 or 8051 needs to access more than 64k bytes of memory, can define banks of memory that are split into pages.

$A000 $BFFF CDATA BANK ROMBANK 1 PAGES ROMB1 2 PAGES ROMB2 …

$E000 $EFFF UDATA BANK RAMBANK $100 PAGES RAMB1 $200 PAGES RAMB2 …

The flexible and efficient memory definition scheme provides complete control of target memory.

Target Features

Standard Hardware Configurations

Each compiler comes complete with configuration files for one or more commercially available hardware systems such as manufacturers’ evaluation boards or MPE’s own hardware products. Configuration for custom hardware is usually just a matter of redefining the memory map of the processor.

If you want the easiest possible start up route, MPE has a hardware porting service that will configure the compiler for your own hardware and will supply you with a tested configuration file.

Floating Point

All targets are supported by software floating point packs with full trig support. With the release of the Forth-2012 standard, new packs are available for 32 bit targets. The existing code is still available for both 16 and 32 bit targets.

Some targets, e.g. ARM and Cortex-M4, which have IEEE F.P. support in hardware also contain floating point packs for the floating point instructions. Hardware floating point packs are only provided with the Professional versions of the cross-compiler.

Heap manager

A task-safe heap system for memory management is supplied. The 32 bit implementation is optimised for performance, and the 16 bit implementation is optimised for code size.

PowerView Embedded GUI (32 bit targets)

A set of PC hosted tools are provided (with source code) for converting standard PC images into the format required for your screen.

FAT File System (32 bit targets)

FATfiler is a FAT 12/16/32 file system designed for use with current devices such as SD/MMC cards, CompactFlash cards and USB memory sticks. Such devices can simply be transferred from the embedded system and plugged into a PC. When a device is initialised FATfiler automatically detects the FAT type and configures itself. The ANS Forth file wordset is provided.

You can configure the filing system for disk caching and for the required sector read/write interface. For the common case where SD/MMC cards are being driven from an SPI port, a common SD/MMC interface layer is provided. SPI drivers are provided in many cases in the CPU specific driver code. A driver layer is also provided for testing on VFX Forth for Windows.

Layered USB System v2 (32 bit targets)

Version 2 of the MPE USB driver system has been tested with Windows, Linux and Mac OS X. The example hardware and USB class drivers have been overhauled for use with DMA hardware. An example composite device is provided.

Your embedded system can use a USB virtual serial port. Version 2 of the USB driver code includes a Communications Device Class (CDC) driver for serial emulation over USB. You can even use this as the Forth console. No additional host drivers are required.

Your embedded system can be a memory stick. The USB code has been structured so that the hardware drivers are independent of the USB core layer and the class layer. The Mass Storage Class (MSC, memory stick) driver requires no additional operating system drivers.

Datalogging applications can be written using the FATfiler file system above. When the time comes, just connect it to a PC using a USB connection and copy the files to the PC.

You can also merge the CDC and MSC drivers into a composite device that will provide both a disk and a serial port to any host PC.

PowerFile (32 bit targets)

PowerFile is an embedded file system based around Unix file systems. PowerFile has recently been updated to be smaller and faster. It includes an ANS Forth wordset that controls a complete filing system with sample drivers for serial EEPROM and Compact Flash or IDE drives.

A single configuration file permits nearly all aspects of PowerFile to be configured. The filing system is suitable for use most applications, including data logging and web servering. A simple interface API links it to almost any form of mass storage, whether it be Flash memory, SD/HC, CF, hard-disk, serial Data Flash or EEPROM.

PowerNet TCP/IP stack (32 bit targets)

Professional editions for 32 bit targets only

A Forth implementation of popular IP based network protocols. Includes TCP, UDP, IP, DHCP, SNTP, SMTP, a multi-threaded server architecture with Telnet, FTP and HTTP Web servers. Client-side facilities have not been neglected. See the PowerNet page for more information.

One user desribes the web server performance as “like s**t off a shovel”.

The PowerNet TCP/IP stack and web server has been reworked to reduce memory usage. It runs comfortably on the new generation of single chip ARMs and ColdFires. A full installation with Ethernet, Telnet and web server can be configured in less than 16k bytes of RAM.

Client-side code has not been neglected. Example files show you how to connect to a remote web server, transfer data to and fro, and even to download and program a new firmware image. Example client configuration code shows you how to simplify production configuration.

N.B. The combination of PowerNet, PowerView and FATfiler permits the construction of fully web-enabled controllers that have low memory requirements and low power consumption.

Finite State Machines

Finite State Machines (FSMs) are a convenient way of describing state driven systems that are otherwise difficult to program. The MPE FSM implementation allows for multitasked operation and nested state machines.

This package has been used for defining communications protocols in safety critical systems such as lifts (elevators) and train (railroad) control.

PID – Process Control Loops

Initially developed for an MPE client, this implementation of a PID controller with deadband handling is now part of the target code.

Examples

Fuzzy Logic package

Flash memory drivers

Device drivers

Extended precision integers

Unix LSECONDS and date/time conversion

I2C and SPI host and device examples

Embedded Forth benchmark suite

and many more …

Optional Extensions

CANopen implementation

The CAN fieldbus is popular in many industries requiring high reliability. This implementation was developed by a client for railway control systems, and is released as a cross compiler extension. Please contact us directly for more information.

US dollar and Euro prices will be calculated using the exchange rate at the day of invoicing

UK Pounds

Euros

US Dollars

The current exchange rate is approximately – (GBP = 1.00)

1.00 GBP

1.13 EUR

1.34 USD

Specify OS from: Windows, Mac OS X, Linux x86

Lite compilers (ARM/Cortex, MSP430, FOC)

0

0

0

Stamp compilers (ARM/Cortex, MSP430)

95.00 GBP

107.74 EUR

127.19 USD

Standard compilers

395.00 GBP

447.96 EUR

528.86 USD

Professional compilers, 8 and 16 bit CPUs

795.00 GBP

901.59 EUR

1,064.41 USD

Professional compilers, 32 bit CPUs

1,475.00 GBP

1,672.75 EUR

1,974.85 USD

CPU family

Comments

Order code

Cortex-M0/M1/M3/M4
ARM7/9/XScale

Cortex-M is the next generation of the ARM architecture for embedded devices. Cortex devices can have higher clock speeds and performance with lower energy needs than ARM7 devices. One nice feature of the Cortex is that there is no assembler start-up code – it’s all high-level Forth.

Note that this compiler only supports ARM devices from ARM7TDMI onwards, and does not include support for 26-bit PC mode, devices without the LDRH/STRH instructions, or big-endian mode. The legacy ARM compiler with this support is still available.Supported ARM and Cortex boards.Segger J-Link support.

Upgrades from the ARM compiler to ARM/Cortex are available.

XCARMCTX/71

MSP430

Excellent very low power 16-bit CPU with an instruction set that makes small CPUs fun again. Integrated access to the TI JTAG facilities by USB (including Launchpads).

XCMSP430/71

H8S/X, H8/300H and H8/Tiny

Good code, good performance and excellent value for money 32-bit CPU with wonderful but sometimes quirky peripherals.
Renesas are being particularly aggressive with the pricing of the H8/Tiny parts, allowing you to use a mature 32 bit CPU for the cost of most suppliers’ 8 bit parts.
Current compilers provide better code generation and support for the Renesas RSK H8/36079 evaluation board for the H8/Tiny series.

XCH8300H/71

Coldfire

Great performance for the money.
Target code has been updated for recent devices such as the M522xx devices. The VFX code generator has been further tuned for this family and the results are impressive.

XCCF/71

386/486/Pentium

Fabulous code generation from the VFX compiler, benefiting from the VFX Forth developments.

XC386/71

68HC12/9S12

High speed upgrade to 68HC11; superb maths performance and excellent peripherals. Probably the best 8-bit CPU currently available.

If the CPU family you are looking for is not here, please ask. We have a number of compilers that were developed as custom targets, and have not yet been documented to production standard.

Legacy target CPUs

Because embedded projects can have very long lifetimes, we do not abandon compilers that are no longer under active development. Instead, they are made available with full source code at reduced price. The technical support level will depend on whether we can remember anything about this particular target and still have hardware for it. Consultancy is always available.

New from mpe – click on title for more information

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Forth 7 cross compiler and targets Professional version includes PowerNet In detail … Version 7 of the MPE Forth cross compiler produces over 500 kb of binary code per second. There are many detail improvements to the compilers and the target code. The first major item for users of 32 […]

Lite cross compilers Lite compilers are for Windows only; they run well under Wine and other Windows emulators. Lite compilers are free of charge and are for non-commercial use only. If you want to commercialise your project just upgrade to a compatible Stamp, Standard or Professional compiler with more […]

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I was trying to avoid some work, and stumbled across this post (republished with permission) on one of the LinkedIn discussions. If you are at all interested in software reliability, Les Hatton is someone to respect. I was lost on LinkedIn (not for the first time) and spotted this discussion. […]